A quite alarming read regarding the OL and Zim

[Pondering Her Percy]

So we've all seen the "Bad News in Zimmerland" article.....

However this one is new and it is quite alarming if accurate.

https://vikingsterritory.com/2021/gene ... -exclusive

The more that comes out, the more I think Mike Zimmer is on the verge of flat out ruining this team. I've been harping on Zim quite a bit especially early on this season. Was glad to see him get the team rolling mid-season and then sure enough he crapped the bed again.

I've said it a million times and will say it again, I think he has a harness around this offense and is holding them back.....

-Spielman is the one providing the talent and for how long now have we all heard that the Vikings are loaded with talent or that they have (at worst) a very solid roster)?
-Kirk Cousins (especially the last two years) has been a very solid QB. And it's becoming more and more apparent that he is NOT the problem
-The weapons of Cook, Mattison, Thielen, Jefferson, Irv, Conklin, etc. is hard to complain about

Yet somehow, fans are looking at Spielman or Kirk Cousins as being the problem. Rick Spielman and Kirk Cousins ARE doing their job whether you think it's at an elite level, great, good or even just above average. They are doing their job.

It is Zimmer's job to make use of what Spielman is bringing in and have the ENTIRE team ready to play each and every Sunday. I dont think anyone can sit here and say Rick Spielman hasnt brought in any or enough talent to work with. I dont think anyone can sit here and say Kirk Cousins is playing so bad that it crushes the rest of the team and that's why they arent successful. But there are constant questions surrounding Mike Zimmer right now. Between the two articles, what Ellison's father said not long ago, the constant change at offensive coordinator, the consistencies from year to year, the conservativeness approach every Sunday, etc.

I was always a big Zimmer fan but he reallyyyy started to wear on me this year. I feel like he is progressively getting worse in the sense of becoming more stubborn, set in his ways, miserable, etc. He's becoming more and more conservative by the day. I think Mike Zimmer needs to be fired now. I dont think he will be but I think he should be. He's like that toxic friend that is always around and if you just got away from that person it would make your life a lot better in the long run.....yeah thats how I see Mike Zimmer right now...

[psjordan]

I assume you mean this article:
https://vikingsterritory.com/2021/gener ... exclusive

If so, here's my "favorite" snip:

I had a former player watch tape of Garrett Bradbury as there’s been conflicting takes on his development (or lack thereof). Either he’s already a bust or a work in progress at a spot that some online have said takes 4-5 years to fully develop.

Here’s a transcribed breakdown of what I was told after we watched tape of Bradbury’s final few games (and I clarified who the offensive line coaches were, as you’ll see a reference to).

“I have no reason to think Bradbury will necessarily be a bust but he is playing very poorly right now. Bad footwork, no anchor in pass pro, off balance constantly. The most shocking thing is the lack of awareness. Looks lost on the field a lot. When I say bad footwork too I mean it’s loose. He can move his feet but he’s taking massive steps on reach blocks and play action sets and making it so he literally can’t take a second step. Showed up over and over again against Tampa.”

That’s not all:

“The reason that I asked about the OL coach is because the whole OL plays like shi##. They look completely unprepared to play to me. It’s bad right now dude. Really bad. I’m sure there’s plenty of talent but it’s not showing up.”

"Sometimes a certain guy will do a certain thing different to suit his abilities/skill set but here it looks like the Vikings OL doesn’t even have a coach. It looks like they get handed a piece of paper and someone says, go ahead and figure it out on your own.”

... This is a damning indictment of not only Zimmer, but of guys like Gary Kubiak, Rick Dennison, and Phil Rauscher. How can you hire someone like Rauscher, and then have a line that is playing that way, that late in the season?

[YikesVikes]

In my dream offseason move, the Vikings will hire Bill Callahan to be an assistant head coach. This guys is an OL aficionado. Everywhere he goes, good OL play follows. I have had a man crush on him since his Raiders days. It makes too much sense and instead, we will continue to struggle on the oline despite the talent.

[YikesVikes]

I assume you mean this article:
https://vikingsterritory.com/2021/gener ... exclusive

If so, here's my "favorite" snip:

I had a former player watch tape of Garrett Bradbury as there’s been conflicting takes on his development (or lack thereof). Either he’s already a bust or a work in progress at a spot that some online have said takes 4-5 years to fully develop.

Here’s a transcribed breakdown of what I was told after we watched tape of Bradbury’s final few games (and I clarified who the offensive line coaches were, as you’ll see a reference to).

“I have no reason to think Bradbury will necessarily be a bust but he is playing very poorly right now. Bad footwork, no anchor in pass pro, off balance constantly. The most shocking thing is the lack of awareness. Looks lost on the field a lot. When I say bad footwork too I mean it’s loose. He can move his feet but he’s taking massive steps on reach blocks and play action sets and making it so he literally can’t take a second step. Showed up over and over again against Tampa.”

That’s not all:

“The reason that I asked about the OL coach is because the whole OL plays like shi##. They look completely unprepared to play to me. It’s bad right now dude. Really bad. I’m sure there’s plenty of talent but it’s not showing up.”

"Sometimes a certain guy will do a certain thing different to suit his abilities/skill set but here it looks like the Vikings OL doesn’t even have a coach. It looks like they get handed a piece of paper and someone says, go ahead and figure it out on your own.”

... This is a damning indictment of not only Zimmer, but of guys like Gary Kubiak, Rick Dennison, and Phil Rauscher. How can you hire someone like Rauscher, and then have a line that is playing that way, that late in the season?

I believe every bit of it. Reminds me of the Blair Walsh miss. The entire game, my friend that is a DA for the Lions and was a DA for the Eagles at the time, and I were on the phone, and during every kick, he would remark that the laces aren't out and the fundamentals weren't being hammered in Minn. Lo and behold, we miss a big-time kick and he hits me with the I told you so. There is no way we have been teaching our OL on the NFL level. They look completely lost out there sometimes.

[S197]

And yet he just received a contract extension. If all of this is true, it's an indictment against the Wilfs, Spielman and Zimmer.

I still see issues at both the GM and HC level based on these comments.

‘The purpleJOURNAL Podcast’ that the Vikings had a plan for their offensive live.

I’m still waiting to hear what that plan is.

The fact that this team changed the way that quarterbacks get paid to land Kirk Cousins, only to completely abandon any plan to protect him? That in and of itself is a fireable offense.

It’s 2021 and the Vikings have learned NOTHING from their success or failure since 2014.

Nothing.

If they had? They wouldn’t have used five of their 15 picks on defensive backs in the record-shattering 2020 Draft (and only one on an actual guard, which was the 15th of 15 picks and the second-to-last pick in the entire draft).

No plan, no strategy, and a misuse of draft capital. All these fireable offenses have been on display for years now. It's far past the time to clean house.

[J. Kapp 11]

Here we go again.

Let's do the math here.

Some guy nobody has heard of, a barely 30-year-old writer for media giant Vikings Territory, somehow has access to a "former NFL O-lineman."

He then instructs this "lineman" to analyze tape and report his findings. Why? Well obviously because he's such a powerful and influential journalist.

Then he uses this "lineman's" comments to rip the Vikings, thus supporting the unique and brilliant thesis that the Vikings offensive line has problems. Wow. I had no idea. Did you?

Can you guys not see how this strains credibility to the the point of ripping at the seams?

I was thinking ... you know what would really help? NAMING THE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN.

When you name your source, you pick up this little thing called credibility. People can check your facts. Journalists with access can contact the source and ask, "Hey man, did you actually say those things?" And people like me don't wonder, "Is the source unnamed, or is he just made up?"

I mean, Chris Mortensen, who actually has access to darned near everybody in the NFL, pulls this crap all the time, and it drives me crazy when he does it. So you'll forgive me for my incredulity and skepticism of this article by ... who the hell? ... Joe Johnson?

What passes for journalism these days is a joke. You guys have fun.

[StumpHunter]

When the former linebacker was brought in to coach up a bad Oline, I said it was a stupid move. We needed a good oline coach who could develop guys and teach technique, not just a Kubiak yes-man who knew how to coach a system. Bringing him in is on Zimmer, but it is also on the GM. Elway said no to Dennison and chose to not hire Kubiak as his OC because Dennison came with him. Why didn't Rick? Why didn't Zimmer recognize the need for a good Oline coach and refuse to allow Kubiak be brought in if Dennison was a part of the deal? Why is Dennison still employed by the Vikings after 2 seasons of 0 development from anyone on the Oline?

It is not just coaching though. Rick has been here 15 seasons and the Oline has never been the strength of this team during that time. Nothing changed when he hired Zimmer, and nothing would change with another HC as long as Rick is our GM. It is development and talent. There aren't former Viking olinemen having success elsewhere. They leave the Vikings after sucking for years, then go somewhere else and suck.

[StumpHunter]

The more that comes out, the more I think Mike Zimmer is on the verge of flat out ruining this team. I've been harping on Zim quite a bit especially early on this season. Was glad to see him get the team rolling mid-season and then sure enough he crapped the bed again.

With what you called "a practice squad" defense if I am not mistaken?

I've said it a million times and will say it again, I think he has a harness around this offense and is holding them back.....

Maybe if you said it a million more times it might be true. How is he holding back the offense? By not running RPO and instead sticking with the offense his QB is most comfortable with? By emphasizing the run with one of the best RBs in the NFL?

-Spielman is the one providing the talent and for how long now have we all heard that the Vikings are loaded with talent or that they have (at worst) a very solid roster)?

When has this team under performed with the talent on the roster? 2017 they went to the NFCCG after losing their starting QB and RB and lost to a team with far more talent.

2018 they lost the final game of the season to a team with far more talent and missed the playoffs.

2019 they lost the divisional round game to a team with far more talent.

The Vikings have never been the most talented team in the NFL with Rick as GM, and that is why the farthest they have gotten is the NFCCG and have only won 2 playoff games, 3 in the past 15 years.

-Kirk Cousins (especially the last two years) has been a very solid QB. And it's becoming more and more apparent that he is NOT the problem

Kirk is great. Teams are banging on Rick's door to trade for him I am sure. Maybe we can offload him for a 2nd, our 2nd to take his contract I mean.

-The weapons of Cook, Mattison, Thielen, Jefferson, Irv, Conklin, etc. is hard to complain about

Cook, Theilen and Jefferson are great. The rest you just listed aren't even top 32 at their positions. Oops, sorry , Irv was 27th in yards among TEs this year.

Yet somehow, fans are looking at Spielman or Kirk Cousins as being the problem. Rick Spielman and Kirk Cousins ARE doing their job whether you think it's at an elite level, great, good or even just above average. They are doing their job.

Above average is never going to win us a SB. Ever. Why do you want to settle for that?

[Mothman]

Here we go again.

Let's do the math here.

Some guy nobody has heard of, a barely 30-year-old writer for media giant Vikings Territory, somehow has access to a "former NFL O-lineman."

He then instructs this "lineman" to analyze tape and report his findings. Why? Well obviously because he's such a powerful and influential journalist.

Then he uses this "lineman's" comments to rip the Vikings, thus supporting the unique and brilliant thesis that the Vikings offensive line has problems. Wow. I had no idea. Did you?

Can you guys not see how this strains credibility to the the point of ripping at the seams?

I was thinking ... you know what would really help? NAMING THE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN.

When you name your source, you pick up this little thing called credibility. People can check your facts. Journalists with access can contact the source and ask, "Hey man, did you actually say those things?" And people like me don't wonder, "Is the source unnamed, or is he just made up?"

I mean, Chris Mortensen, who actually has access to darned near everybody in the NFL, pulls this crap all the time, and it drives me crazy when he does it. So you'll forgive me for my incredulity and skepticism of this article by ... who the hell? ... Joe Johnson?

What passes for journalism these days is a joke. You guys have fun.

His source is probably a former long snapper that spent 2 weeks on the practice squad one summer.

[Cliff]

Here we go again.

Let's do the math here.

Some guy nobody has heard of, a barely 30-year-old writer for media giant Vikings Territory, somehow has access to a "former NFL O-lineman."

He then instructs this "lineman" to analyze tape and report his findings. Why? Well obviously because he's such a powerful and influential journalist.

Then he uses this "lineman's" comments to rip the Vikings, thus supporting the unique and brilliant thesis that the Vikings offensive line has problems. Wow. I had no idea. Did you?

Can you guys not see how this strains credibility to the the point of ripping at the seams?

I was thinking ... you know what would really help? NAMING THE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN.

When you name your source, you pick up this little thing called credibility. People can check your facts. Journalists with access can contact the source and ask, "Hey man, did you actually say those things?" And people like me don't wonder, "Is the source unnamed, or is he just made up?"

I mean, Chris Mortensen, who actually has access to darned near everybody in the NFL, pulls this crap all the time, and it drives me crazy when he does it. So you'll forgive me for my incredulity and skepticism of this article by ... who the hell? ... Joe Johnson?

What passes for journalism these days is a joke. You guys have fun.

You are absolutely correct.

At the same time, it's basically the off season for us Vikings fans and I think the "article" is mostly a jumping off point, really. By page 2 or 3 they won't even be talking about the content of the article anymore but rather the content of each others posts. Hell, if it makes it to page 6 or 7 someone might be talking about how a lack of antioxidants have killed the ability of the secondary to do something or other.

[Bowhunting Viking]

Here we go again.

Let's do the math here.

Some guy nobody has heard of, a barely 30-year-old writer for media giant Vikings Territory, somehow has access to a "former NFL O-lineman."

He then instructs this "lineman" to analyze tape and report his findings. Why? Well obviously because he's such a powerful and influential journalist.

Then he uses this "lineman's" comments to rip the Vikings, thus supporting the unique and brilliant thesis that the Vikings offensive line has problems. Wow. I had no idea. Did you?

Can you guys not see how this strains credibility to the the point of ripping at the seams?

I was thinking ... you know what would really help? NAMING THE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN.

When you name your source, you pick up this little thing called credibility. People can check your facts. Journalists with access can contact the source and ask, "Hey man, did you actually say those things?" And people like me don't wonder, "Is the source unnamed, or is he just made up?"

I mean, Chris Mortensen, who actually has access to darned near everybody in the NFL, pulls this crap all the time, and it drives me crazy when he does it. So you'll forgive me for my incredulity and skepticism of this article by ... who the hell? ... Joe Johnson?

What passes for journalism these days is a joke. You guys have fun.

His source is probably a former long snapper that spent 2 weeks on the practice squad one summer.

Well Kapp and Jim, I just had a brilliant epiphany!!! As many of you remember retired NFL linemen Kory Lichtensteiger is from my small town, I am friends with the family and work with his older brother. Kory moved back here when he retired so I see him around and talk to him all the time. He was a starter in Denver and Shanahan loved him. He was released when Josh McDaniels became HC for Denver and actually was picked up by the Vikings for about a few months when Sullivan was having injury issues. Then Shanahan was hired as HC in Washington and Kory was signed there and became an immediate starter in about the first week of Shanahan tenure. And I've talked here about Kory being starter there for RG3 and then Cousins for time there except for Cousins last year cuz Kory retired that season.
So now my epiphany vision for all of us here!!!
I will have Kory come over for a few days, we will lock ourselves in my Vikings mancave and I will have him watch all the Vikes games I have on the DVR and have him tell me the current state of the Vikes and what will happen for us in the next 5 to 10 seasons.
I will then start my own social media show and enlighten everyone with the " Expert First Hand locker room knowledge " like all these other guys seem to do. BUT... I will not pull the confidential unnamed source or anonymous teammates crap that all these "Insiders " seem to inevitably cite in their reports.
On the contrary, I will just have a picture of Kory and I sitting there having a film session as the header of every report.
And the very best part is the fact that my last name is Proffitt. So I will deem the website and blog "Proffitt's Purple Prophecy---- God's Honest Truth".
With some , actually MOST of the garbage, that we constantly seem to ingest every week I figure I can throw my hat.. or I guess in the Spirit of the premise.. my Halo in the ring and throw some crazy news, ideas and gossip out there too!!
And I promise when I become Nationally syndicated I will be sure and incorporate all us VMB members in the discussions!!!

[J. Kapp 11]

His source is probably a former long snapper that spent 2 weeks on the practice squad one summer.

Well Kapp and Jim, I just had a brilliant epiphany!!! As many of you remember retired NFL linemen Kory Lichtensteiger is from my small town, I am friends with the family and work with his older brother. Kory moved back here when he retired so I see him around and talk to him all the time. He was a starter in Denver and Shanahan loved him. He was released when Josh McDaniels became HC for Denver and actually was picked up by the Vikings for about a few months when Sullivan was having injury issues. Then Shanahan was hired as HC in Washington and Kory was signed there and became an immediate starter in about the first week of Shanahan tenure. And I've talked here about Kory being starter there for RG3 and then Cousins for time there except for Cousins last year cuz Kory retired that season.
So now my epiphany vision for all of us here!!!
I will have Kory come over for a few days, we will lock ourselves in my Vikings mancave and I will have him watch all the Vikes games I have on the DVR and have him tell me the current state of the Vikes and what will happen for us in the next 5 to 10 seasons.
I will then start my own social media show and enlighten everyone with the " Expert First Hand locker room knowledge " like all these other guys seem to do. BUT... I will not pull the confidential unnamed source or anonymous teammates crap that all these "Insiders " seem to inevitably cite in their reports.
On the contrary, I will just have a picture of Kory and I sitting there having a film session as the header of every report.
And the very best part is the fact that my last name is Proffitt. So I will deem the website and blog "Proffitt's Purple Prophecy---- God's Honest Truth".
With some , actually MOST of the garbage, that we constantly seem to ingest every week I figure I can throw my hat.. or I guess in the Spirit of the premise.. my Halo in the ring and throw some crazy news, ideas and gossip out there too!!
And I promise when I become Nationally syndicated I will be sure and incorporate all us VMB members in the discussions!!!

Honest to god, my friend, I was thinking about you when I read this article. I'm thinking, "Bowhunter knows a guy ... he could actually do this, and it would be ten times more believable." Too stinking funny!

But hey ... you oughta think about it.

I also looked into this guy Joe Johnson a bit. His claim to fame is that he started Vikings Territory (big deal ... I've built at least 5 websites) and that he has a Vikings podcast. Funny, I also have a podcast. Not about the Vikings, but the point is that it doesn't take anything to do a podcast except a smartphone.

There's this one podcast called Purple FTW (I guess it stands for "for the win"). For some reason, I watched it once, and then I started getting notifications constantly. I would watch it, and after awhile, I was going, "What am I doing? This is a waste of time. It's terrible!" There was no film study, no guests of any stature, nothing but one random dude sitting there spouting opinions. I mean, that's what we do here on VMB every day, except we type it instead of putting it on video.

Bleacher Report started in exactly this way. In the beginning, BR was a group of guys who managed a network of amateurs sending in poorly written articles (mostly their opinions) and getting paid next to nothing. But Bleacher Report must've had people who knew what they were doing when it came to SEO because you couldn't Google a sports topic without them coming up on top. Over time, it's taken on a life of its own and now employs professional journalists and former players. They have some big names on their writing staff. Heck, the average salary of a run-of-the-mill Bleacher Report employee is now more than $60k. But in the beginning, it was a hack site whose operators figured out how to turn it into a gold mine.

[makila]

OLine drafting, fa acquisitions, and development has not been good for years. It's an organizational issue. I dont watch as much tape as I used to (lack of time), oline is what I played at a small college level and even I can see it.

I dont know where the disconnect is within the organization. It's real though imo. We fail to develop olineman. Either we scout them wrong for the system wanting to be used or cant develop them properly.

[VikingLord]

I assume you mean this article:
https://vikingsterritory.com/2021/gener ... exclusive

If so, here's my "favorite" snip:

I had a former player watch tape of Garrett Bradbury as there’s been conflicting takes on his development (or lack thereof). Either he’s already a bust or a work in progress at a spot that some online have said takes 4-5 years to fully develop.

Here’s a transcribed breakdown of what I was told after we watched tape of Bradbury’s final few games (and I clarified who the offensive line coaches were, as you’ll see a reference to).

“I have no reason to think Bradbury will necessarily be a bust but he is playing very poorly right now. Bad footwork, no anchor in pass pro, off balance constantly. The most shocking thing is the lack of awareness. Looks lost on the field a lot. When I say bad footwork too I mean it’s loose. He can move his feet but he’s taking massive steps on reach blocks and play action sets and making it so he literally can’t take a second step. Showed up over and over again against Tampa.”

That’s not all:

“The reason that I asked about the OL coach is because the whole OL plays like shi##. They look completely unprepared to play to me. It’s bad right now dude. Really bad. I’m sure there’s plenty of talent but it’s not showing up.”

"Sometimes a certain guy will do a certain thing different to suit his abilities/skill set but here it looks like the Vikings OL doesn’t even have a coach. It looks like they get handed a piece of paper and someone says, go ahead and figure it out on your own.”

... This is a damning indictment of not only Zimmer, but of guys like Gary Kubiak, Rick Dennison, and Phil Rauscher. How can you hire someone like Rauscher, and then have a line that is playing that way, that late in the season?

Just reading through that snippet makes me ask several questions:

- While the bad footwork and no anchor are issues that coaching can help with, is it reasonable to assume that Bradbury would have earned consideration as a first round center if he demonstrated a lack of awareness consistently? I mean, center is the one position where awareness is absolutely key, and while awareness can probably be coached, how can anyone reach the NFL playing center who lacks that to the degree implied here? I'm not saying the author is wrong per se - I'm just saying that if there is a claim about Bradbury that would have to be substantiated with some game tape, that is the claim I'd like to see more evidence of.

- If the whole OL plays so poorly so consistently, what explains the relative success of the Vikings offense this year? The Vikings offense finished 4th in the NFL in average yards per game, 14th in passing yards per game, 5th in rushing yards per game and 11th in scoring. Granted, that also doesn't mean the writer is wrong - it just means that if the writer is not wrong, then the remainder of the offensive players and/or the scheme must be able to overcome such horrible OL play. If that is true, it cuts deeply into the narrative that Cousins is terrible, for example, or that the offense only works if Cook is on the field.

- Are there other possible explanations for some of what that former NFL player saw from various OL players late in the season? Were any of the OL fighting nagging injuries that might have impacted their play? Were any of them playing out of position, or were they playing against better defenses? Tampa, IIRC, had the league's #1 defense at the time the Vikings played them. It would stand to reason that the OL might not look amazing against them. That isn't to let anyone off the hook, but that fact should temper criticism.

Anyway, it is the easiest thing in the world to criticize coaching when things go poorly, and sometimes coaches deserve that criticism, but Zimmer has enjoyed enough success as a head coach, and Kubiak has too, for me to be highly skeptical that this is a fair assessment of either the coaches or the OL players, and I think the overall offensive stats likewise make it highly unlikely that the OL is "completely unprepared to play".

I'm with Kapp on this one - this article sounds like a hit piece from someone who thinks Zimmer and Spielman need to be replaced ASAP more than a fair assessment.

[StumpHunter]

- If the whole OL plays so poorly so consistently, what explains the relative success of the Vikings offense this year? The Vikings offense finished 4th in the NFL in average yards per game, 14th in passing yards per game, 5th in rushing yards per game and 11th in scoring. Granted, that also doesn't mean the writer is wrong - it just means that if the writer is not wrong, then the remainder of the offensive players and/or the scheme must be able to overcome such horrible OL play. If that is true, it cuts deeply into the narrative that Cousins is terrible, for example, or that the offense only works if Cook is on the field.

You bring up a good point here, and I think far too often when a team fails, unless they have an elite Oline, fans blame the Oline for the majority of the team's problems.

With the Vikings Oline, they aren't terrible and would be passable with a different QB or a better defense. They aren't good either though.

They are good enough to make us the 11th best scoring offense (10th in scoring efficiency) against on average the 18th best scoring defenses we faced this year. Not good enough to pass block well when teams know we have to pass to keep up or hold their blocks as long as our QB requires to make reads.